The nascent Saudi Pro League (SPL) has chosen former Chelsea Sporting Director Michael Emenalo as its first director of football, reports theathletic.com. The SPL has been on a massive drive to sign top players from around the world, as well as the best-class coaches and managers for the league. This has become the top draw for talents because of the enormous pay for the main actors.
Emenalo occupied a similar role at Chelsea from 2011 to 2017, overseeing a hugely successful period across the men’s, women's, and academy sides at the west London club.
The former Nigeria international left back was also heavily involved in transfer activity. Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah and N’Golo Kante were recruited during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Emenalo spent two years as sporting director for AS Monaco and has since continued to consult.
He is regarded as among the leading experts in his field. He will be responsible for helping the SPL develop frameworks and applying the kind of principles seen in the world’s biggest divisions.
Emenalo is expected to bring a staff with him, tapping into the expertise, experience, and connections of people he has worked with before and adding others to bolster the setup. It is anticipated that the 57-year-old will also keep a close eye on the future by giving opportunities for young Saudis to join his team, learn about the industry, and enhance their own careers.
Emenalo began his career with Enyimba and played for the Enugu Rangers before moving to the United States. Emenalo attended college and played for Boston University from 1985 to 1988. He played for Molenbeek in Belgium, Eintracht Trier in Germany, and Notts County F.C. in England before transferring to the US.
Former Chelsea Director of Football, Emelano
He was one of the original drafted players for Major League Soccer and spent two seasons (1996–97) with the San Jose Clash. After that, he played for UE Lleida in Spain and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.
Emenalo won 14 caps for Nigeria between 1984 and 1995. He played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, missing the first game through injury but going on to play against Argentina and Greece before Nigeria was knocked out by Italy.
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